Swan Kingdom
The Swan Kingdom is an atypical kingdom on what used to be known as the Dire Island. It is best known for being the location of the Dire Tree as well as the homeland of the Swan Guard. It is the main setting of the eleventh game of the Dark Parables series, The Swan Princess and the Dire Tree. It is possible that Dire Island is loosely based on the Greek island of Strofades, where the mythical Harpies were once believed to dwell and where the Boreads managed to defeat them. History The island now known as the Swan Kingdom was the birthplace of the world's vegetation when the Goddess Flora planted the very first tree there. It was called the Dire Tree, and through its roots, all of the plants of the world came into being. The island itself became known as Dire Island, due to the tree at its center. However, the tree could not protect itself, which left it vulnerable to any manner of mishaps that would then, in turn, affect all of nature everywhere. It was for this reason that the Swan Guard was created by Flora to protect the tree, and its Goddess, from any harm or wrongdoing. In time, the island surrounding the tree became known as the Swan Kingdom. Culture Loyalty to the Goddess Flora is highly prized in the Swan Kingdom. Treachery to the Goddess is punishable by death in the kingdom. Nature is also highly respected in the Kingdom and as such is often incorporated into the art of the Kingdom. Ballet appears to be part of the culture of the Swan Kingdom as well. It is unclear if this became part of the culture after the reign of the Green-Haired Swan Princess, or if it was always part of the culture of the Swan Kingdom. One of the holidays of this kingdom is the Day of Felicity, on which the people of Dire Island come with offerings before the great Flow and they share his home for one day. The holiday takes place in autumn, about six months from A Fable of Two Hearts. Notable Current Residents * Odile (current Swan Princess) * Dire Tree * Flow * Swan Guard * Druid Notable Former Residents * Princess Elise (presumed deceased) * Silver Swan (deceased) * Traitor of the Guard (formerly, exiled, unknown) * Princess Odette (formerly, deceased) * Princess Ethel (formerly, deceased) * Princess Priscilla (formerly, deceased) * Ewan the Craftsman (formerly) * Harpies (formerly, extinct) * Harpy Queen (formerly, deceased) * Unnamed Princesses (deceased) Relevant Parables The First Tree (from The Swan Princess and the Dire Tree) Long before our time, the Goddess Flora planted the very first tree on an island that would later become the Swan Kingdom. From this tree, the roots spread throughout the whole planet linking every plant to a central life force. Flora soon realized that the tree could not defend itself against the dangers of the world, so she created the Swan Guard to protect the Dire Tree with their lives. In gratitude, every year the Dire Tree produces a magical seed with the power to rejuvenate Flora in a ritual of rebirth. Ross Red, one of the Guardians of the Goddess, was tasked with supervising the annual ritual, from the birth of the seed to the full rejuvenation of the Goddess. At one such ceremony, while everyone was looking at the Goddess, one pair of eyes remained focused on Ross Red's Weapon, known as the Shattering Sword. Little did Ross Red know of Swan Princess' plans to destroy the Goddess, for which she needed his weapon. Quotes * "In the Swan Kingdom, everything has a story worth telling." Trivia * A welcome rock stands at the southern entrance to the kingdom, besides a carving made up of three different creatures' emblems. One of these is clearly a bear done in the style of the carvings found throughout much of the Kingdom of Barsia (whose patron animal is the bear). This carving could represent a connection between Barsia and the Swan Kingdom, as well as a further connection to two other lands represented by an eagle and a dragonfly. The eagle could represent the Snowfall Kingdom, which is ruled by Snow White - who is often represented by eagles or falcons. The dragonfly could be a nod to the fourteenth game, Return of the Salt Princess, but because of the shift in creators for that game, this is unlikely. Gallery The Swan Princess and the Dire Tree= Kingdom Outskirts.png|Kingdom Outskirts Highpoint.png|Highpoint Tree Base.png|Tree Base Gate.png|Gate Tsp-lake-city-inside-tree.jpg|City Inside the Dire Tree Tsp-swan-raft-palace-screen.jpg|View of Swan Palace from Swan Lake Glade.png|Glade Swamp.png|Swamp Tsp-black-swan-hideout.jpg|Hideout Throne Room.png|Throne Room Tsp-swan-guard-outside-prison.jpg Tsp-prison-screen.jpg Prision Tunnel.png Rotunda.png Underground Complex.png|Underground Complex Catacomb.png|Catacomb Tsp-ross-in-swan-crypts.jpg Archive.png|Archive Barracks Hall.png|Barracks Hall Guard Tower.png|Guard Tower Black Swan room.png Tsp-odettes-room.jpg Guard's Outpost.png|Guard's Outpost Dire Tree Landing.png|Dire Tree Landing Cell.png|Cell Tsp-druid-greenhouse.jpg|Greenhouse Tsp-druid-basement.jpg Druid-hut-interior.jpg TSP Treasury.jpg|Treasury |-|A Fable of Two Hearts= FTH Swamp.png|Swamp FTH Stone Temple.png|Stone Temple FTH Underground Complex.png|Underground Complex Old Archive.png|Old Archive Deep Forest.png|Deep Forest #1 Deep Forest2.png|Deep Forest #2 Deep Forest3.png|Deep Forest #3 Deep Forest4.png|Deep Forest #4 Deep Forest5.png|Deep Forest #5 Windmill Front.png|Windmall Exterior Windmill Interior.png|Windmall Interior F2h-harpy-lair.jpg|Harpy Lair |-|Concept Art= Dp11-concept-01.jpg Dp11-concept-03.jpg Dp11-concept-02.jpg |-|Other images= Dire-tree-opening.jpg|The Dire Tree Dp11-traveling-companions.jpg|Fairytale Detective and Desmond McBride traveling through Swan Kingdom swan-kingdom-crest.jpg|Swan Kingdom Crest on a Shield swan-kingdom-emblem.jpg|Swan Kingdom Crest tsp-swan-crest-ballista.jpg|Swan Kingdom Crest on Ballista Seal Tsp-locked-talisman-case.jpg|Swan Kingdom Emblem on Talisman Case Swan-kingdom-welcome-stone.jpg|Welcome Stone Dire-island-notes.jpg|Detective's Notes on the Island Bear-eagle-dragonfly-emblems.jpg|Three Creatures' Emblems tsp-swan-kingdom-throne-complete.jpg|Swan Kingdom Throne Dire Island Map.jpg DP11 wallpaper07 1920x1080.jpg 6AAAC99F-1ADE-4A9C-BFC9-A9853DABA84E.jpeg E394C5C7-7555-4CBC-8C01-72C9E7292A60.jpeg 3DC0C3B9-DEA5-489D-ADD3-553210E8697A.jpeg Category:A to Z Category:Places Category:Kingdoms Category:The Swan Princess and the Dire Tree Category:A Fable of Two Hearts